Chapter 92 - 92: Return

Every time he opened his eyes, he would dream of all kinds of chaotic images—and each dream would end with a pair of huge, yellow pupils jolting him awake. Malfoy knew those were the eyes of the basilisk that had petrified him, but his memory of that night stopped at entering the girls' lavatory. When exactly he saw the basilisk, or when he got petrified—he had no recollection whatsoever. Last night, he once again dreamed of the girls' lavatory. Dreamed of the basilisk. He saw a tunnel open up inside and the massive creature slithering out with a hiss. Then…in the dream, his own hand suddenly produced a dagger and plunged it into the basilisk's eye. The creature went berserk, flinging him away—and then he woke up, gasping. Malfoy rubbed his eyes, yawned, and quickly slapped his cheeks to stay awake. If everything in that dream really happened—if he was the one who blinded the basilisk—then two things didn't make sense. First, why didn't he remember any of it? And second, if the basilisk had already been blinded, how had he still been petrified? Up until now, he hadn't told anyone about the dreams. Because he was scared. Malfoy had heard that the Dark Lord had appeared during the time he was petrified. He'd heard that Death Eater Wormtail had once impersonated someone and used the Imperius Curse to control others. So he was worried…worried that maybe he, too, had been under control. That maybe he had killed someone while being possessed. And even if he had been controlled—wouldn't he still be sent to Azkaban? "Hey!" A hand suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, and Malfoy jumped in fright. "I didn't kill anyone!" Audrey blinked, then raised her brows in amusement. "Mr. Malfoy, if I'm not mistaken, did you just say...'kill someone'?" "N-No, you heard wrong." "And not just 'kill someone', but specifically—'I didn't kill anyone'?" "I said I didn't kill anyone!" Audrey gave a knowing nod and sat down beside him, her face alight with curiosity. "So...why the sudden need to clarify that you didn't kill someone?" "…" Malfoy could barely restrain himself from throwing a curse at the girl in front of him—if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat her, he swore he'd have done it already! No—not because he couldn't beat her, but because this girl was a monster! A monster with eyes just like the basilisk's! That's it! "I'm going back to rest!" Malfoy fled in a hurry. "Tch. And here I was just getting bored." In spectator mode, Audrey could clearly see the chaotic ether and aura swirling around Malfoy—he was definitely hiding something. "Is it that he thinks he killed someone…or that he actually did?" She stood up and stretched lazily. "Well, never mind that for now. Time to go report to Mr. Dumbledore!" —This is what people mean when they say: once bitten, twice shy. ——— While divinations for the students progressed slowly, there were a lot of them, which helped Edward refine his own acting rules as an Astrologer. Cedric came to him several times for readings on his romantic prospects. Naturally, Edward did his best to deliver good news—but sadly, Cedric's progress was less than ideal. Cho Chang, still just a second-year, probably hadn't even developed any romantic notions yet. To her, Cedric's 'pursuit' just felt annoying. Audrey kept trying to dig out Malfoy's secrets, but this time, his lips were unusually sealed. Whether she tried threatening him with her Dragonbone Wand's powers or coaxing him with her Legilimency and Telepathist skills, nothing worked. On the bright side, her potion digestion made significant progress thanks to all the effort—an unexpected bonus. During all this, the mandrake leaf Edward had been holding in his mouth finally hit the 30-day mark. He immediately filled a tiny crystal vial with saliva and soaked the leaf in it, allowing it to absorb pure moonlight. (Note: This part is modified from canon. Normally, the Animagus ritual must be completed across two full moons, but due to the time disorder between the two worlds in this story, that rule doesn't apply here.) Next, he added a strand of hair, a silver teaspoon of dew that had neither seen sunlight nor been touched by human feet for a full seven days, and the chrysalis of a Death's-head Hawkmoth. He then placed the mixture in a shadowy corner of his dimensional pouch, waiting for a thunderstorm to arrive. Audrey observed the entire process and asked curiously, "I heard that when Animagi transform into animals, they retain some animal instincts—is that true?" "Is that so?" "Well, I heard Professor McGonagall's like that." Lilith perked up immediately, her gemstone-like eyes full of anticipation. "Then Edward can play hunting games with me in the future, and we can catch mice together!" "Uh…" Edward gave a helpless laugh. "Lilith, do you really want me to eat mice that badly?" She replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Mice are tasty~ Miss Lilith is willing to share the tastiest things with you." "That's…very generous of you. Thank you." "You're welcome!" Audrey stifled a laugh and stepped in to help him out, "Miss Lilith, humans don't eat mice~" "But he'll turn into a cat, and cats have to eat mice." Edward sighed. "I'll try my best not to turn into a cat." As they spoke, the two of them stepped into the headmaster's office. Dumbledore looked up from his quill and welcomed them with a smile. "Welcome, both of you. Please, have a seat." "Professor, you seem to have been rather busy lately." He took off his half-moon spectacles, his eyes a little weary. "Oh, you know...after what happened at the Ministry not long ago, things are still in a mess." At that, he chuckled softly. "Though, to be honest, it's not like things were ever much better before. If anything, the Ministry's efficiency has improved quite a bit since Cornelius left charge." As he spoke, he took out a package and placed it on the table. Inside was a shimmering piece of fabric, gleaming silver as though woven from water itself. "Well then, the main reason I called you here today was to give you this." Edward's eyes widened. "An Invisibility Cloak?" Dumbledore smiled faintly. "Harry came to me a few days ago—stammering, really—and asked if James had left anything behind for him. I believe this was what he had in mind." "I had originally planned to give it to him as a Christmas present. But since he asked directly, it didn't feel right to keep hiding it. In the end, Harry told me he doesn't need it for now, and he hoped I could lend it to you." He gave Edward a playful wink. "Did you ask Harry to do that?" Edward scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Professor, the way you asked that…it's making it sound like I manipulated Harry into giving me the cloak." "Well, those are your words, not mine." "Pfft—" Audrey burst out laughing. "Alright, fine, I admit I do need the Invisibility Cloak," Edward said frankly, deciding not to explain further. Instead, he figured he might as well go all in. "If it's not too much…I was also hoping you might lend me the Elder Wand." "You're trying to collect the Deathly Hallows?" "That's right." Dumbledore stroked his wand thoughtfully and said with mild indifference, "Well, I've had the Elder Wand for many years now, and honestly, it's just a fairly useful wand. Not nearly as miraculous as The Tales of Beedle the Bard makes it out to be." Before Edward could respond, he waved a hand. "But that's all beside the point now. The Elder Wand...I've lost it." "Lost it?" Edward stood up in shock. "Who could possibly steal the Elder Wand from you?" "Oh, calm down. No one stole it. I simply lost it during a spellcasting incident." This was something that had never happened in the original story! He wanted to ask more, but Dumbledore clearly had no intention of delving further into the matter. Instead, he tapped his forehead lightly and smiled. "Oh, right. I nearly forgot—about the path you mentioned. What do you think about the Mystery Pryer Pathway?" Edward suppressed his curiosity and nodded. "Of course. And I actually have all the necessary ingredients on hand." He laid out the materials and briefly described the potion-making process. Dumbledore looked both puzzled and intrigued. "In truth, this does seem a great deal simpler than the way we brew potions here. But how strange that when these components are put together, they produce such a magical effect." "Well...I suppose that's magic for you." ——— Three days later. Audrey, with Hagrid bawling his eyes out behind her, finally retrieved "his" precious baby, Anna, and packed her into the giant magical bag Professor McGonagall had given her. If it hadn't been for that bag, she hadn't planned to bring the dragon back at all—there simply was no way to raise her properly. The old suitcase had become far too cramped, and letting her roam free would get her killed quickly by any Beyonder unless she was hidden deep in some remote, uninhabited mountains. Of course, all of this was assuming Anna was willing to leave voluntarily. In truth, the situation she faced in the Harry Potter world wasn't much better—either stay in a magically expanded space or risk being hunted down by goblins the moment she stepped outside. Edward made sure he'd bought everything listed on the Goddess's shopping list. Before leaving, he even shamelessly asked Dumbledore for a large handful of phoenix feathers. Only then did he head to the Room of Requirement—Audrey and Lilith had, of course, already hidden themselves in the leather pouch. Fifteen minutes later, with a familiar feeling rushing over him, Edward vanished from the world of Harry Potter once more. ——— [Backlund—Church of the God of Steam and Machinery] Ikanser stared at the words on the silver mirror— "I can't find him. He's vanished." —and was completely shaken. This was the first time the mirror had failed to provide an answer to one of his questions. He was just about to ask again when the words suddenly disappeared and were replaced with a new sentence: "He has reappeared." The surrounding light grew deeper, and the surface of the silver mirror once again shimmered with the image from before, slowly coming into focus. A young man wearing a trench coat and a silk top hat was lifting a small black kitten from a leather pouch, then flopping onto a soft sofa while saying something. A dozen seconds later, the image blurred and faded away, leaving behind a single line of text: "88 Minsk Street, Cherwood Borough." "According to the law of reciprocity, it's my turn to ask a question. If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished." Ikanser's expression darkened. He forced himself to ignore the circle of colleagues standing silently behind him. On the mirror, silvery ripples appeared, forming a new question— "When having deep exchanges with a burly man, are you the dominant one or the submissive one?" Ikanser trembled all over. Almost the moment the question appeared, he shouted, "I choose to accept the punishment!!" A bolt of silver lightning struck from nowhere, hitting Ikanser square on the head. He let out a muffled grunt and collapsed to the ground. If he had a choice, he'd rather just lie there and never get up. But a moment later, he forced himself to his feet, trembling, head down as he turned and barked out the order, "Move out! We're heading to 88 Minsk Street!" ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.